1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pick-up apparatus and a computer readable recording medium storing a computer program for the apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional image pick-up apparatuses for picking up digital images, a technique is known for preventing increasing power consumption in a shutter operation for picking up an image with smear suppressed. For example, such technique is disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 2007-295628 A).
The image pick-up apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 1 controls exposure using a mechanical shutter to obtain a digital image, when a level of a smear is higher than a predetermined threshold level, wherein the smear is caused based on charge which is accumulated in CCD in accordance with incident light on a light receiving plane of the CCD. Meanwhile, when the level of the smear is not higher than the predetermined threshold level, the image pick-up apparatus controls exposure using an electronic shutter to obtain a digital image. The image pick-up apparatus having both the mechanical shutter and electronic shutter can reduce power consumption in driving the mechanical shutter.
But the conventional image pick-up apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 1 controls exposure using the electronic shutter, when the level of smear is not higher than the predetermined threshold level. The Patent Document 1 discloses nothing about reducing power consumed when the electronic shutter is operated. In the conventional image pick-up apparatus, the electronic shutter is used more frequently than the mechanical shutter. Although the power consumption in the shutter operation is reduced, the power consumption in the electronic shutter operation cannot be reduced.